Dancing with Lotus Petals
by vampireanna'dancer
Summary: Allen has always wanted to become a part of the, world-renowned, Black Order Gymnastics & Dance Academy, so auditioning is like a dream come true! Of course nothing ever goes smoothly and Allen soon finds himself in the middle of a comp. between Black Order Academy and Noah Private Academy but the gorgeous lead performer makes it hard to concentrate... [Yullen][some - LaviLena]
1. Chapter 1

Hello! For those who don't already know me my pen name is vampireanna'dancer! I am honored that you decided to have a look at my story and I hope I do not disappointment you! This has a rather unusual story line and theme. I went for a look through the Yullen stories and none of them were anything like what I'm about to present to you ;D I think most people would come up with stories involving murder and blood and gore and drugs and alcohol and stuff revolving around the Black Order... none of them are anything like this! It's unusual but I think it works :) after-all, they do do a lot of jumping and flipping and gym-like sorta stuff in the actual series, so if you think about it it's not to big of a stretch to turn them all into gymnasts and dancers and acrobats :)

For those of you who are following my other stories, I haven't forgotten about them I just haven't had the time, nor the motivation to update them. So don't worry I will get to it!

Blame the plot-bunnies for this story... I really should give them a virtual carrot or something to get them to stop jumping around in my head!

Disclaimer: I do not own -man! Otherwise Yullen would totally be cannon :)

* * *

Chapter 1 – Inside the Black Order

•••••++•••••

Allen sighed in absolute joy, he finally did it! He finally made it to the most renowned gymnastics/dance company in the world: The Black Order. Despite its 'doomsday-like' name, the Black Order is a place people from all around the world travel to see, every gymnast and dancer dreams of being good enough to audition and hopefully become a part of the company. It puts on a different performance once a week, they range from the classic, Snow White to the more unusual, Tales of the Arabian Nights. Of course, every dancer/gymnast who is a part of the company has exceptional talent and skill, they are the best of the best of the best after all.

Just like every other aspiring performer, Allen dreamed of the day when he would be good enough to audition and maybe, just maybe, have a chance at being accepted. And now, here he was, standing smack bang in the middle of London, in front of the massive glass doors that opened into the foyer of The Black Order.

Allen took a deep breath to calm his nerves, in... and out. Then, without any further hesitation, he pushed open the doors and stepped in. His breath was immediately taken away by the modernity, he knew that The Black Order was only an 8 year old establishment, but it was in London and most of the buildings in London were centuries old. Royal blue, gold and silver seemed to be the colour pallet, gold lined cushions rested on royal blue couches and chairs, curled neatly around a silver table. Three gold chairs rested against the wall and a large plasma screen T.V. was mounted on the wall, it seemed to be playing a Japanese game show and Allen silently chuckled to himself, he sometimes couldn't resist watching them either... They were too funny and too bizarre.

He did a quick mental check to make sure he had everything he needed and walked up to the blue and grey marbled reception desk. "Um, excuse me." He started tentatively.

They receptionist looked up with big brown eyes and brushed a piece of wavy brown hair back behind her ear, "y-yes? Welcome to The Black Order, my name i-is Miranda. How may I help you?"

"Hello Miranda, my name is Allen Walker. I've come for the auditions today?"

"Oh Mr Walker! Yes, what session were you booked into?"

"The 10:00 session."

Miranda rummaged through a few black folders on her desk, knocking a couple off in the process, and eventually managed to come up with a white profile form which she glanced over quickly.

"I'm sorry to say this but... Are you sure the letter said 10:00am?"

Allen frowned and presented her with the letter he received which had informed him of the session he was scheduled in for, "I'm positive, here, you can check it yourself." Like with the profile paper, Miranda's eyes scanned it briefly before looking up at Allen again with slight dismay.

"It seems the times got mixed up when the forms were sent out, your actual session time was at 9:30 and should finish soon. I'm very sorry but if you miss your session time, no matter the reason, you will be dismissed from auditions and will have to wait until next year in order to audition again."

Allen looked at her with wide eyes, he was so close, he could feel it and yet... Fate chose to betray him. His eyes snapped up to the gigantic blue and silver clock that hung over the reception desk: 9:45. If he was lucky he may make it to the very end part of the session. The rules said that if he missed his session he would be dismissed, but they didn't say anything about being late, albeit very late, but still late. With renewed hope, Allen looked for the room number on the form with the correct time: Rm3•5. Now he just needed to run and find the room in fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes should be plenty of time to find a room, after all, how hard could it be to find the fifth room on the third floor?

•••••++•••••

Obviously very hard, the sad part was, he even had a map! Not that it did him much good. After 6 minutes of racing around like a headless chicken, trying to find Rm3•5, Allen was ready to give up. He found the elevator easy enough, and from there going to floor three was simply the press of a button, but what he didn't expect was what he'd find when he actually got to floor three. He expected a bunch of reasonably sized studios with each door clearly labelled along a long corridor, instead he was met with a series of medium-sized dressing rooms that probably doubled as warm-up rooms for the cast of whatever performance was going on. Allen supposed that the lead performer's dressing/warm-up room was on a different floor and probably reasonably bigger. But that wasn't the problem at the moment, the problem was that there were quite a few identical blue doors... And none of them were labelled.

•••••++•••••

Allen decided that pressing his ear to each door and listening for the one with noise coming out of it would be the best choice of action in this situation. Deciding to start with the first door, Allen walked up and attempted to hear if anything was going on inside of it. Not hearing anything he moved onto the next door. And the next. And the next. And finally, when he got to the fifth door in the row (he mentally hit himself for not checking the fifth door straight away), Allen heard voices and the clack of clip folders and he gentle scrape of pen and pencil on paper. Excited with having found the correct room in 13 minutes, Allen bounded into the room, without much thought as to what would happen next.

"I'm so sorry I'm late! I received the wrong time in the mail and was hoping you would make an exception for me 'cos even thought I'm really late there isn't a rule that says if you're late you can't still be accepted so I'm sorry I'm so late and I hope you'll still see my audition!" Allen finished his rushed monologue with a deep bow, he wasn't Japanese but knew that the lead performer for the Black Order was from Japan and the manager/principle was Chinese so he thought the bow to be appropriate.

"Che, if you're late that means you missed the audition, so get lost."

Allen straightened from his bow very slowly, where he met the gaze of the most gorgeous man he had ever seen. His midnight blue/black hair was swept up into a high pony tail and wrapped using traditional Japanese hair wrappings, his skin was pale, porcelain smooth and did not contain a single blemish. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, showing off the almost delicate muscles (although Allen was sure that this exotic man could win even the toughest arm wrestle, he knew that dancers had too have more internal muscle and couldn't show much on the outside because they detracted from the overall beauty of the performer and dance). Onyx eyes, with a hint of sapphire, glared at him in plain annoyance, and that was when Allen was hurled back to Earth... And reality.

"Very well," Allen lowered his eye line in disappointment, well he'd waited twelve years to audition for The Black Order what's one more?

"Wait a second."

Allen looked up in surprise; the black and purple-tinged haired man walked over to him.

"What's your name young man?"

"Allen Walker sir."

"And how old are you Allen?"

"Seventeen, Eighteen at the end of the year."

"Well Allen, nice to meet you. My name is Komui Lee and I'm the director of the Black Order. What is your reason for arriving so late to your set audition session? You knew full well what would happen if you missed it?"

"Yes sir, I knew what would happen if I missed my session. When I arrived I was informed that the time I had been sent in the mail was incorrect and that the actual time was half an hour earlier, so I decided I would try and get here as quick as possible so I would not have to miss the whole thing. But then I got confused as to which room I was in and arrived 57 minutes late instead of 15 like I had originally planned."

"Hmm... Under ordinary circumstances I would have to send you on your way with a dismissal. But since the time mix-up was not your fault I will make an exception."

Allen's face lit up like a light bulb, "thank you so much sir!"

Komui smiled, "stay behind once everyone else has left the room and I will take you to the gym room for your audition."

"Yes sir!" The dark-haired Japanese man, surprisingly, didn't say anything other than a light 'che' before he flipped his hair and walked through the side door of the dressing room.

•••••++•••••

Allen silently followed Komui down to the gymnastics floor. The Black Order had a massive underground facility where they had most of their gymnastics equipment. Quite a few of the utilities, like the long tight ropes, the flying trapezes and the ginormous multi-layered trampolines, were to big to fit comfortably above ground. That was why they were kept below ground level, that way they could have equipment as big as they wanted and even have a separate room for each. Most of the dancing studios were in the building itself, so they weren't kept below ground. Only the gym equipment was underground.

Once they reached the mini 'sign in' desk, Komui turned to Allen, "for the audition you will have to perform a short sequence of moves, varying in difficulty, on each main type of equipment: trampoline, flying trapeze, tight rope, free rope/ribbon and the basic floor techniques. Then you will perform a dance routine in a style of your choice. Ok?"

"Yes."

"Okay, we will start with the tight ropes."

•••••++•••••

Allen looked up at the tight ropes, they were a loooooong way up. Sure, he'd practiced on reasonably high tight ropes before, but this was just ridiculous! The Japanese man entered the room, adjusting one of the straps on his singlet, Komui beckoned him over.

"Kanda, I would like you to demonstrate the beginner tight rope combination for Allen please. Allen, watch carefully and memorise Kanda's movements, ok?"

Allen nodded and watched, as Kanda (so that was his name, yep, definitely Japanese) scaled he flimsy rope ladder with ease and alighted in the small platform high above his head.

Allen looked dubiously at Komui, who seemed unaffected by the fact that Kanda wasn't wearing a protective harness and there weren't any safety nets underneath the ropes.

Kanda did a run and front sault off the platform, to land neatly on the first tight rope. The ropes were arranged almost like a spider web, criss crossing at different levels and over lapping in a few places. Kanda then did a quick front walk over and a small jump to land on a smaller rope below. A few back flips, a cartwheel, couple more rope changes and a full layout to finish back on the starting platform completed the routine. Allen watched in awe, he'd heard that the lead performer of The Black Order was so good it couldn't be real, but he didn't expect Kanda's moves to look so fluid and graceful and way-too-good-to-be-human. Even with an exercise as simple as the one he just performed, Allen was mesmerised. He could only imagine what it'd be like in a real performance.

Komui turned to him as Kanda came down from the platform, "okay Allen, show us what you can do."

Allen gulped and nodded, making his way over to the tiny ladder. He didn't have much trouble climbing it and resolved to not look down when he reached the top. Allen took a couple of deep breaths before beginning the exercise. Just as Kanda had done, Allen did a neat little front sault to land on the first rope. From there, he moved from one movement to the other until he performed the full layout and landed perfectly on the platform. Komui called up at him from below, "very good Allen, you can come down now and so you can see the next exercise."

Allen called back, "okay, thank you!"

•••••++•••••

This went on for a few hours. Kanda would demonstrate an exercise and Allen would repeat it.

They went through the trampoline (which Allen wasn't particularly fond of), the flying trapeze, the free rope/ribbon, the floor exercise and the dance routine (Allen performed a nice mix of hip-hop, jazz and contemporary).

By the end of it all Allen was quite exhausted but thankful he was able to audition. Komui thanked him for participating and said that he should receive the letter of acceptance or dismissal within the next month or so. Allen went back to his temporary, rented flat to continue practising what he could and eagerly await the letter.

* * *

Thanks for reading! I would love to hear from you all! So if you see any errors or have any questions or anything like that, please don't hesitate to leave a review! I'll greatly appreciate it. Thanks again! Until next time!


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, here we go! Chapter 2 of Dancing With Lotus Petals! A few more of your favourite -man characters will be introduced in this chapter :) Hope you enjoy! And remember: reviews are always appreciated!

A big thank you to:

Emzielluvsbooks

allen-chan85

.Kawa

KatherineMao

Hikari-Urufu-no-Yami

Hope-sama

Flame-Metal-Heart

Happycafegirl

For reviewing/favourite/following my story :)

Disclaimer: I do not own -man!

* * *

Ch2 - Dancing With Lotus Petals

The expected letter came in the mail exactly five weeks after Allen's audition. He ran out to the mailbox area and almost did a little 'whoop' of joy when he spied the crisp, white envelope. Wasting no time, Allen tore open the top and carefully pulled out the folded piece of paper. All of a sudden he was very nervous. What if they hadn't accepted him? What if they'd thought he wasn't good enough? Or too young? After a few minutes of worrying over nothing, Allen hardened his resolve and unfolded the letter.

•••••++•••••

Master Allen Walker,

You have received this letter on behalf of the Black Order Gym & Dance Academy. Your audition was on the 21st of July and was overseen by Director Komui Lee and Principle Company Lead and soloist Yuu Kanda.

We have the great privilege to inform you that both Mr Lee and Master Kanda were very impressed by your performance during the audition and you have therefore been accepted into The Black Order's ranks.

You will be expected to attend a short introductory briefing at 8:00am the day after you receive this letter. During the meeting you will be required to perform a short sequence of exercises. How well you do during this performance will determine which strength group you will be placed in. This will be elaborated at the meeting.

Congratulations, see you at the Order!

•••••++•••••

Allen could hardly breathe for a few seconds as he let the information he had just read, wash over him and attempt to sink in. He'd been accepted! They were pleased with his performance! And the slightly less relevant thought that 'Kanda' was actually a last name. He couldn't wait to attend the introductory briefing tomorrow! Allen decided to ignore the small part if him that hoped the long haired Japanese man would be there.

•••••++•••••

Allen felt a slight sense of déjà vu standing in the impressive foyer. This time, however, he was now a member of this company and there were many other people standing with him. He stood there awkwardly, watching as the people around him talked animatedly to their friends and family who had come to wish them well and congratulate them on being accepted. The only family Allen had had was a father who wasn't blood related and had past away due to cancer twelve years prior. He tried not to think about it too much.

Allen looked around, trying to find someone he may be able to talk too so he wouldn't appear so much like a loner. Abruptly, he got his wish as a young man with a shock of bright red hair and an eye patch bounded up to him, a girl with green/black hair followed at a slower pace.

"Yo! My name's Lavi! It's nice to meet ya!"

Allen didn't know quite what to think of him and managed to stumble out a reply, "n-nice to meet y-you, my name i-is Allen." Allen mentally smacked himself for how lame he sounded. Stuttering? Really? Ridiculous. The girl with the green hair walked up to him, "hello, my name is LenaLee Lee. Please excuse Lavi, he always gets like this when the newcomers arrive each year."

LenaLee Lee huh? He'd heard of her, she was their lead, trampoline specialised, Gymnast (below Kanda of course, because being the Principle Lead meant that he was the best at everything), and the director's younger sister.

"Oh, it's okay. I'd be excited too."

"Awwwwww!" Lavi cooed, "he's so polite!"

LenaLee smacked him.

"Ow! Come on Lena what was that for? I was just telling the truth!"

"Well when you 'told him the truth' you somehow managed to make it sound suggestive! And you wonder why people think you're bi!"

"Hey! I'm dating you aren't I? And you know for a fact that I'm not bi so there isn't a problem!"

Allen looked between the bickering couple, slight confusion written on his face, "um, excuse me." They both turned their heads around to face him before realising that he was still there. It was LenaLee that spoke first.

"I'm sorry Allen, we get a bit carried away sometimes," she said with a pointed glare in Lavi's direction, he smiled sheepishly, "You were saying?"

"Uh, well... You mentioned that you greet the newcomers each year... If that's the case then, you're a part of the company Lavi?"

"Yep! Have been since I was fifteen, which was four years ago. The Black Order is a wonderful place, you'll like it here. Just do really well in the introductory exercises and you'll be fine! I was talking to Yuu after your audition and even though he didn't say much I could tell he was impressed. Not even LenaLee or I could make Kanda impressed, even now. So for you, a complete stranger, to walk in and impress Yuu in your first audition? That is quite an accomplishment. I know the instructors and the other existing company members are looking forward to meeting and working with you."

Allen looked at Lavi with his mouth slightly agape. Kanda was impressed by his audition? The trainers and existing company members were looking forward to meeting and working with him? No way could this be true. Allen had seen the dismissive way Kanda had acted, they must be mistaken. Before Allen could reply to Lavi's enthusiastic speech, a booming voice came over the loud speaker, informing all the newly recruited members that they should start making their way down to the Gym floor.

Lavi turned to Allen, "well, it seems Marie has spoken. Catch ya later Allen! Good luck!"

"Thank you."

Allen then started to move towards the queue of people making there way to the elevator and Lavi and LenaLee were lost in the crowd.

•••••++•••••

Just like at the entrance to the massive building, Allen got a sense of déjà vu standing in the the silver elevator. The red block numbers at the top of the elevator counted down to 0 and kept going till they eventually stopped on -4 and the doors opened. Allen followed the other new recruits into the massive room, where various stations were set up. It reminded him of the circuit training he used to do in P.E. when he was in primary school. The only difference being that instead of skipping ropes and mats for sit-ups and hop scotch hoops, there were mini versions the massive gym equipment found on the upper (but still below ground) floors.

The 'kids' looked around in slight curiosity and anticipation and nervousness. They all knew that the test they were about to take would determine the rest of their career at The Black Order. Komui and, much to Allen's reluctant delight, Kanda walked to the front of the room.

Komui greeted everyone and went on for a bit about how this was an important time and congratulations on getting this far etc... Then he went on to explain how the next few hours would work; everyone would be split into three groups according to the stats collected during their entry audition: aero, trampoline, floor. From these groups, each person would perform a short routine on a piece of equipment (or on the floor) from their group's specialty, demonstrated by Kanda. The strength and potential of each person is measured and final groups would be chosen according to that data. Komui then wished everybody good luck and the sorting began.

•••••++•••••

Allen, to his relief, did not get put in the trampoline group. He, instead, was placed in the 'aero' group. Their supervisor introduced herself as Klaud 9. She said that the aero section was the broadest and therefore had the most options in the way of different equipment available and what not. It included the trapeze, tight rope, bars and basically anything that was performed in the air or from great heights. Apparently she had chosen the flying trapeze as their 2nd audition equipment.

Just like before, Kanda demonstrated and just like before, Allen was mesmerised. To his embarrassment, Klaud had put him first and it took a couple of snaps in front of his face for him to snap out of his 'Kanda-daze'.

Once he'd pulled himself together, Allen made his way up the rope ladder and onto the, very, high platform at the top. He took a deep breath, covered his hands in white chalk to make them grip, and grabbed hold of the smooth silver bar covered in, slightly faded, cream cloth. Another deep breath in, on the breath out Allen launched himself off the platform and into thin air. He swung backwards and forwards a few times in order to gain momentum, then when he was ready, he yelled a quick "ok!" To the men on the other platform. At his signal, they let go of the identical and unoccupied trapeze on the other side. Allen did a few more swings to ensure he was moving at exactly the same time as the other trapeze. Then, when he was certain he was in perfect sinc, he flipped off he trapeze, front saulted once and landed neatly on the other one... Feet first, so he was now hanging from his knees. The rest of the routine consisted of several more trapeze changes and flips backwards and forwards. As his feet touched the ground again, the next person scaled the ladder and the exercise was repeated.

Allen walked over to a nearby drinking fountain and took several small sips, as much as he would love to gulp as much as he could he knew it would do more harm than good to scull freezing water after vigorous exercise. As he straightened up from the tap, he caught a glimpse of black hair.

He immediately froze. When Allen finally worked up the courage to slowly turn in the direction the hair came from, Kanda was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey readers! I know it's been a while but school started up again and I'm also in the middle of Eisteddfod (pretty intense dancing competition that goes for 2-3 weeks) so I haven't had that much time to write. However! I did manage to do the basic plot outline for chapters 4-8, so, I now have an idea of what I'm doing and I'm not just writing blind. ;D I can tell you in confidence that this story will have AT LEAST 10 chapters. The length of each chapter probably won't be very consistent but I am aiming to write over 1,000 words for each chapter.

I wrote this on my iPod so if you see any mistakes please tell me and I will fix them! I did proof read but it's almost impossible to pick up every mistake...

To apologise for my delayed update, this chapter has over 3,000 words (not including the author's note)! :)

A MASSIVE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED/FOLLOWED/FAVOURITED THIS STORY! I LOVE YOU ALL!

Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-man!

* * *

Ch3 - Dancing With Lotus Petals

The, now sweating and panting, new recruits rested on the floor of the 2nd audition room. They were waiting for the results of all their hard work. The instructors and Director Komui were currently looking through all the reviews and grouping them all into levels of potential and current skill. Allen leant against the wall near the twin set of glass elevators, the wall felt nice and cool against his sweat covered skin. The new recruits went through exercise after exercise, each one ranging in difficulty, until no one could move properly anymore. The instructors really knew how to drain a person of their precious energy. If this was what it was like at the AUDITIONS, then what were the classes going to be like in the actual company?! Allen decided not to dwell on it any further, what comes will come and he would deal with it when it arrived.

Komui, Klaud 9 and the rest of the instructors walked out of the observation building and everyone in the room was quiet immediately. They all wanted to hear the number that could determine the rest of their career at the Black Order. Komui opened his mouth to speak and the occupants of the room seemed to hold their breath:

"Well done everyone!" Komui said cheerfully, holding his glasses where they rested on his ear, "I can tell you that both the instructors and I are very impressed with the performance you showed us. As you are probably already aware, the group that you will shortly be placed in may determine whether your stay with the company is prosperous or not. Of course, your skill number is not fixed as there is always room for improvement, but it is rare for any one individual to improve their skills enough to change that number significantly. With that in mind, I shall now announce the group numbers! When your name is called, please come forward to receive your uniform, training gear, dorm key, itinerary, i.d. card and map. The uniform is to be worn when not in training and the colour of your training gear corresponds with the group you are placed in. Once everyone in your particular group has received these items you are free to find your dorm room. Now..."

It was so silent Allen could've sworn he heard his heart beat. The nervous anticipation could almost be seen, swirling around the new recruits.

"...in skill group 1/10 brown-" Komui began to read out the list of names, only three people were called up. They collected their things and moved toward the elevators. "In skill group 2/10 green-" the list begun again and the cycle repeated itself. Allen made a small mental note of each of the colours that corresponded with each group:

1/10 - brown  
2/10 - green  
3/10 - aqua (mix of light blue and green)  
4/10 - purple  
5/10 - magenta (dark pink)  
6/10 - lilac (very light purple)

By the time Komui had gotten to 7/10 (which was orange) Allen had started to worry that he was so terrible they had decided to dismiss him from the company. But at the same time, Allen really wished that his name just hadn't been called yet and he'd done better in the audition then he had first thought. He looked around and was somewhat relieved that he wasn't the only one left in the room. This reprieve was short lived, however, when he realised there were only three more people other than him.

As soon as the glass elevator doors closed behind the 7/10 group, Komui turned to the remaining people: Allen, another boy and two girls. Komui smiled reassuredly at them, "no need to look so scared. You're not going to be dismissed." They all seemed to let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"You should be very proud of yourselves," four heads turned to look up at the bespectacled man in confusion. Komui continued, "it isn't often that new recruits such as yourselves are placed in such a high level group. The high levels from 8 through 10 are usually made up of the select few company members whose skills improve significantly during their time with The Black Order. Neither the instructors, nor I, have seen young adults with skills good enough to be placed straight into a high level since the current company lead, Yuu Kanda, auditioned five and a bit years ago. Congratulations, come and be presented with your items. You are now a part of skill group 8/10 blue and silver." Komui finished with a beaming smile.

Allen and the other three were stiff with shock. Select few? High level group? Their skills almost match with the current company lead's when he auditioned? 8/10? Numbly, as if in a trance, Allen walked up to Director Komui and the instructors and accepted, now his, belongings. Then, once the others had collected their items too, Allen made his way over to the glass elevators and to the dorm blocks. Today had been a long day.

Allen opened his eyes with a yawn, slapping a hand over the persistent alarm clock. It sputtered for a few seconds before falling silent: 6:30am... Ugh. Allen was briefly reminded of a #meme he had read once. It said:

Alarm clock: because every morning should begin with a heart attack.

He chuckled, yep, it hit it right on the mark. Groaning, he somehow managed to drag himself out of bed and over to the small bathroom so he could splash his face, hopefully the sudden spray of cold water would help jolt him awake.

Allen was surprised at how calm he felt. He had expected to be at least a little anxious or nervous or even excited! But alas... Nothing... Glancing at the itinerary, Allen saw that breakfast was in the dining hall from 7:00-7:30am. The rest of his itinerary for the day read as follows:

MONDAY  
7:00-7:30am - breakfast ••• dining hall  
7:45-9:00am - stretch, yoga & pilates ••• 2A  
9:00-11:00am - dance ••• 2C  
11:15am-12:00pm - conditioning/theory/health check-up ••• 4C  
12:00-1:00pm - lunch ••• dining hall  
1:15-3:15pm - flying trapeze/free ribbon/tight rope ••• sub-level 1  
4:00-6:00pm - free period  
6:00-7:00pm - dinner ••• dining hall  
7:00-8:00pm - extra training (if applicable) ••• room number assigned by instructor - if not applicable, free time  
8:30pm - suggested bedtime  
N/T: meal times are optional but class times are set. Company members who do not possess proper punctuality shall be met with serious consequences.

It seemed pretty strict, like a private school. But that was to be expected, The Black Order wasn't just some 'run-on-a-mill' charity (no offence to charity). It's a highly revered gymnastics and dance company, there needs to be some sort of order otherwise it won't function properly. If that happened there would be absolute chaos and the whole company would burn itself to the ground. Allen flipped the itinerary over to look at the map. Paths, floors, numbers and letters were scattered all over the page. The Black Order was a ginormous structure, it had to be, and Allen was more than glad the Order had left fifteen minute tome slots here and there which would be used to travel from room to room. There were sewing rooms for costuming, practical rooms for theory, medical rooms for health check-ups & injury care, large multi-purpose rooms where the dancing classes were held and the dining hall. Then there were the massive below ground floors for all the equipment... there was even a large swimming pool, gym and an outdoor running track!

The dorm blocks and theatre were separate from the main building; however, the theatre could be accessed via external passageways (much like the ones that often connected a plane to the airport so you could board without actually having to go on the runway and climb up the stairs). Allen supposed these passageways were used by the stage crew, to cart heavy equipment to and from the stage, and the performers when a full dress rehearsal or production was taking place. Anyone who was not part of the production (such as the newbies to the company and the general public) would enter through the main doors of the theatre.

The theatre itself was very very very big, the rectangular structure could seat about half the number of spectators in a football field and had to be large enough to fit the equipment that was needed for each performance on the stage and not kill the audience in the process. Like the main building of The Black Order, the theatre had an underground floor (though not nearly as big and no more than one), which was used for storage and, on occasion, for launching performers up through the stage floor. In the event that water/pools were needed as part of a performance, the roof could be folded back against the sides (think massive convertible). This served a dual purpose by both making it easier to insert the water mechanisms/pools themselves (the pools would be lowered through the roof by massive cranes) and create a brighter, more realistic setting for the audience (productions like 'The Little Mermaid', where almost the entirety of the production was performed in/using water, were never performed at nighttime).

Allen put the itinerary down on his bedside table and reached for the training gear and uniform he had received the previous day. An additional small note was attached to the uniform, outlining when he was expected to wear it and what-not. It was for use during meals, before and after performances (or during if not participating) and for excursions to the city if taken during the free time period. Everyone had Sunday off to do as they pleased so that was the only day they didn't had to wear the uniform, whether they were out in the city or in The Black Order doing extra practice. It also said that each person's uniform was unique and although they all carried the same basic design each one had its own special feature. It seemed the Black Order's uniform specialist had attended the first auditions and designed each successful applicants uniform's according to the personality they portrayed and what they excelled at.

Allen put on the blue and silver training gear quickly (it consisted of a form-fitting blue & silver t-shirt and black foot-less tights; 3/4 baggy blue & silver pants, almost like cargo pants, went over the top of the tights) and lifted up the black and silver jacket. It seemed almost military like, with it's silver embellishments and buttons, the Black Order crest on the left breast pocket and the black everything else. Allen put his 3/4 blue & silver training pants in his small backpack (along with a hand towel, his i.d. card, his mobile phone and a water bottle) and slipped the long black pants of the uniform on over his tights. He pulled on a pair of long black socks and slipped his feet into the high black boots, which were also part of the uniform. Once finished with the large silver zipper going up the front of the boots, Allen put on the jacket, doing up the buttons and straightening it out. A blue & silver scarf that wrapped gently around the neck and knotted just to the right of the chin, completed the ensemble. Then, with a final glance at the digital alarm clock (6:48am), Allen grabbed his backpack and exited the dorm room (making sure to lock it behind him).

A few doors down from him another company member was exiting his own dorm room. As the male turned around he caught sight of Allen and immediately ran up to him, a look of pleasant surprise but with a hint of knowingness on his face.

"Yo, Allen! So, it was as I thought, you really are as good as they say! Congratulations on getting into group 8/10!"

"T-Thank you Lavi! You're in group 8/10 as well?"

"Yep! ^-^ I wasn't originally though, I started off in group 6/10."

"Oh! So... Are you on your way to the dining hall as well?" Allen asked, shuffling his feet a little. Lavi glanced at him with a knowing smirk.

"Is our little Moyashi lost?"

"N-No! At least not yet anyway..." Allen mumbled the last bit to himself, hoping Lavi didn't hear. "I was just asking... And what is Moyashi?"

Lavi had heard the mumbled conversation Allen had had with himself but decided to leave him off the hook for the minute and instead focused on the question Allen had just asked him, "You mean you haven't heard?"

Allen shook his head in puzzlement, "heard what?"

"It's Yuu's nickname for you. He's been referring to you as the 'Moyashi' ever since the second round of auditions began. Yuu usually makes it his goal to give each new member of the company an insulting nickname before the end of Day2. You got yours before Day1 even properly began. You must have made quite the impression on him!"

Allen stared at him.

"What? ^.^" Lavi asked, tilting his head slightly.

Thoughts were racing through poor Allen's brain at a mile a minute and most of them consisted of, 'he called me Moyashi... It's an insulting nickname... What is a Moyashi anyway? How can I be insulted by something I don't know the meaning to? He called me Moyashi... Called me Moyashi... Moyashi... Moyashi... WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!'

Lavi watched Allen's internal battle as each emotion flashed across Allen's face. After a few minutes, Lavi decided they had better get going to the dining hall or they would be going to class with an empty stomach. He interrupted Allen's silent rambling with a small cough and an, "uh, Allen?" Allen snapped back to earth with a surprised jolt and gave Lavi an apologetic look for zoning out like that. Lavi shrugged it off and started to make his way to the dining hall. Allen stared after him for a few seconds before hurrying after him at a brisk walk.

Like the rest of the rooms in the building the dining hall was massive. One long table stretched through the middle with smaller 'picnic-table-like' benches spread throughout the rest of the room. At the far end, opposite the door, a long grate spanned the length of the room with large arches/windows set at large intervals across it. A person stood behind each arch/window with a pen and pad, while people with white full-body aprons on hurried around behind them carrying pots, pans, ladles, cutlery and food items.

Lavi walked up to the arch in the very middle, where a tall guy with purple hair and pointy glasses was taking down orders and hollering them back over his shoulder. When it was Lavi's turn to be served he cheerfully said, "the usual, thanks!" Before pushing Allen forwards. The purple haired man leaned forward through the arch and pushed his sun glasses down his nose a little, "and who do have here? You new here honey?"

Allen was slightly taken aback by the sudden closeness between him and the cook and the manner in which said cook spoke. Realising 'the cook' was still waiting for an answer Allen stepped back a little and did a low traditional Japanese bow from the waist. "Hello,mynameisAllenWalkerandI'mnewtotheBlackOrder ! Nicetomeetyou!" Allen spoke so fast it was a wonder anyone could understand him, but 'the cook' clapped his hands together, a beaming smile on his face.

"Woho! Look at the manners in this one! Oh, he is such a cutie patootie! What would'ja like hon? If you can eat it, Jerry can cook it!"

Allen straightened up from his hasty bow, "I can have anything I like?"

"Sure can! Here at the Black Order we want our members to be fit and strong, so we don't like t' ration meals. So what will it be?"

"In that case... I'll have..."

[insert names of countless types of food here]

"... Oh! And five plates of Mitarashi Dango. No, make that twenty of them!"

Jerry stared at the petite silver haired boy in front of him, mouth slightly agape, "ah, are you sure gonna be able to eat all that sweet pea?"

Allen smiled at him, "yep!"

Jerry looked dubious but took down his order all the same, "ok then, see ya later hon."

Allen nodded a thanks before moving towards the collection window to receive his food. Lavi had left him at the order arch to collect his own food before it went cold and had gone to find Lenalee, who was already seated at one of the small benches. Once Allen had collected his food (or rather, the trolley the food was on) he went to sit next them. So far, they were the only people (other than Kanda and the director) that he knew so far. Lenalee gave her congratulations to Allen for making such a high group number on his first day. She was currently in group 9/10 gold and silver, the coloured scarf she wore as a headband proof of that fact.

Despite his numerous food dishes, Allen finished his breakfast with five minutes to spare before his next class. After he had handed the empty plates, stacked neatly on the trolley, to the dirty dishes window Allen said goodbye to Lavi and Lenalee and made his way to where (he hoped) his first class was.

The rest of the day passed rather uneventfully but very excitingly. As Allen had initially thought during the second audition, classes were a lot tougher than the norm. The teachers let no one slack off, even if it was their first day. At the end of the day, Allen flopped onto his bed, more exhausted then he ever thought possible. He knew that this would become daily routine. Even while the older performers were practising for whatever the next performance would be, the newbies would continue their daily routine until they too were able to perform. That was how the Black Order was run ever year. And no one ever deviated from the strict tradition.

Not even if an exception needed to be made...

* * *

No Kanda in this chapter *tear*, but the main story starts next chapter so he will definitely be in it!

Their uniforms are pretty much the same as the original Black Order uniforms, just with the scarf added. The length of the scarf varies, like how it's long enough to wear as a headband for LenaLee, but Allen's just goes around his neck (a long scarf around the neck with the uniforms would look really dorky).

I'll try to explain the Gymnastics (and dancing later on) terms/moves/equipment as best I can but if you're confused, don't hesitate to ask me! What I refer to as the 'free ribbon' doesn't actually have a name, it goes under the title of 'aerial gymnastics'. The 'free ribbons' are those long pieces of cloth that hang from the ceiling, the gymnasts wrap the cloth around their limbs and hang down off it. Type 'aerial gymnastics' into Google Images and you'll see what I mean :) It can also be performed using hoops instead of ribbons.

Yes, I am aware that guys don't usually do the sort of gymnastics I have Allen (and later on, Kanda) doing. But when I picture them doing gymnastics I don't think of those hunks of muscle that sit on a pommel or hang off rings. They seem like the type of people who would be better at the more delicate and technical side of gymnastics. This is set in the future as well so...

Thank you for reading! If you have time, please leave a review, I love hearing from my readers! If you have a suggestion or constructive criticism I accept it with an open mind ^.^ Thanks again!


End file.
